


Written in His Deeds

by YumeArashi



Series: Haven [2]
Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Child Abuse, Gen, Pre-The Raven Boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 23:26:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21927319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YumeArashi/pseuds/YumeArashi
Summary: 'If things get bad, you get out, you call us, we come get you,' Ronan had told Adam.  Adam couldn't accept that offer, but that didn't mean he entirely rejected it either.  As always, this would be on his terms, or not at all.FollowsWritten On His Skin
Series: Haven [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1579183
Comments: 10
Kudos: 43





	Written in His Deeds

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to [aurumdalseni](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aurumdalseni), who inspired the series, and [KouriArashi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KouriArashi), who said I should write a follow up. Thank you for letting me squee my TRC feels at you :)

It was 3 am at Monmouth, and neither Ronan nor Gansey were sleeping. It was not unusual, of course, and they were engaged in typical insomniac pursuits. Gansey was working on the cardboard model of Henrietta, and Ronan was pretending to help.

It was not a time of night either of them expected a soft knock on the door.

They looked at one another with raised brows, then Ronan stood and strode to the door. Adam stood behind it, hunched and shivering from the chill night air. His jaw was bruised and his lip swollen and split, and he held his arm against his ribs as if one of those things pained him.

"Are you gonna let me in, or just stand there and stare?"

Ronan wordlessly stood aside.

Gansey disappeared into the bathroom and reappeared with a bowl of warm water, a washcloth, and an ice pack. He bit his lip to keep from saying anything as he held them out to Adam, hoping his friend would at least allow this much. They hadn't spoken in two weeks, not since the fight that had ensued when Gansey found out about Adam's father and had indeed tried to insist he move into Monmouth.

Adam looked at Gansey for a long moment before taking the items, his acceptance a peace offering.

Ronan found his words. "You were supposed to call if things got bad. You said you would call, damn it!"

"No,  _ you _ said I would call, and you made it clear it wasn't a choice," Adam said shortly.

Ronan scowled and opened his mouth, but Gansey cut him off. "Ronan, enough. The important thing is that he's safe now."

"I'm not staying," Adam warned.

Gansey swallowed hard. "I know. You're no prisoner here, Adam, you can come and go as you please. Our door is always open to you, even if we're not here, but you don't have to stay if you don't want to. It was wrong of me to try to insist otherwise. I'm sorry."

Adam closed his eyes and sighed softly, the tension seeping out of him and leaving behind only exhaustion. "Thank you."

"At least come sit for a second and let me take a look," Ronan said gruffly, herding Adam over to Gansey's bed. It said volumes about how tired Adam was that he allowed it. "Is it your arm or your ribs?"

"Ribs," Adam reluctantly lifted his shirt to show the blossoming bruise. 

Ronan examined Adam's ribs with surprising gentleness. "Cracked but not broken. I'll tape 'em up - that's about all a doc would do for it." He stood and disappeared into his room, unsurprisingly well supplied for such an injury.

"You should - " Gansey forced himself to stop the offer that had begun to spill from his lips. Telling Adam to take time off of work would not go over well, and Gansey offering to pay his missing wages even less so. "Sorry, never mind. Just...if you can, maybe take it easy at work, please."

Adam's expression said that he knew what Gansey had wanted to say, and appreciated that he hadn't. "I'll be careful." 

Gansey wondered if it was a lie. Adam had never had the same compunctions about dishonesty that Ronan did. But it didn't matter, he supposed - Adam would be careful, or he wouldn't, and either way there was nothing Gansey could do.

There was never anything Gansey could do for Adam.

Ronan returned with the supplies and taped Adam's ribs securely. "There. Lie on your back for a minute and take deep steady breaths, I need to watch your chest and make sure your ribs aren't moving funny."

Adam lay back. Within a minute his eyes were closed; within a few minutes he was soundly sleeping. 

"You are downright devious," Gansey told Ronan admiringly. 

Ronan shrugged. "It's just one night, he'll live. And if you ask me he can shove his pride up his ass, it's gonna get him killed."

"I worry about that," Gansey sighed, stretching out beside Adam. He felt as though he had all of the responsibility for Adam's fate but no power to change it, and it weighed on him. He felt as tired as Adam.

"You can't blame yourself. It's not your fault he's being a stubborn little shit about this," Ronan told him, flopping down on Adam's other side.

"I hate that I can't help him," Gansey said softly. "I hate that I can't talk him into living here in safety, I hate that his father's just getting away with this. I hate that Adam is hurting and there's not one single damn thing I can do."

"There is, though. You're giving Adam a place to go, somewhere he can be safe when things get bad. I know it doesn't feel like much. But take it from someone who knows what it's like to have nowhere to go - you can't even imagine how important that is."

Gansey reached across Adam to give Ronan's shoulder a squeeze. "You'll always have a place with me."

Ronan cleared his throat, keeping his face turned away from Gansey. "We're talking about Parrish, this isn't about me. Look, I get it, it sucks that he's not willing to stay and might never be. Believe me, I hate it too. But at least he has the option. When you feel trapped, an open door makes all the difference whether you go through it or not. Sometimes it's enough just to know you can."

Gansey nodded slowly. "And he's here now. He won't stay, but at least he came here in the first place. If we don't push him, maybe he'll keep coming here when things get bad."

"It's better than nothing," Ronan agreed grudgingly. "Given his fucking pride it's probably as much as we can hope for."

"Mostly likely," Gansey sighed, a yawn catching him off guard. 

"Go to sleep, idiot. The weight of the world's not yours to carry. He's here, he's safe, let it be enough, at least for tonight."

"Hypocrite. You're still mad he didn't call," Gansey accused lazily.

"You bet your ass I'm still mad. And I still want to beat the shit out of his father. But I also know when to just take the win. I'll worry about tomorrow when it comes."

"I'm surprised you care. I thought you still resented him for having the audacity to accept my friendship."

Ronan flipped Gansey off. "I do. I just can't stand fuckers who beat up on people weaker than them, they're bullies and cowards."

"And that's the only reason," Gansey said, amused. He'd seen how gently Ronan had touched Adam's cracked ribs. Ronan let so few people in, but once he did they were His People and he was loyal to the death. It was good that Ronan was letting Adam in, Gansey thought happily. He needed more people. Adam was a good friend, he would be good for Ronan. 

"Fuck you, that's all. Now go the fuck to sleep, asshole."

Even if Ronan wasn't quite ready to admit it, apparently. Gansey chuckled and closed his eyes.

With Adam safe and warm between them, it wasn't long before he and Ronan both drifted into a rare, peaceful sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I did not do my research and you should not actually tape/wrap/otherwise confine cracked or broken ribs, since it restricts breathing and can lead to pneumonia. There is apparently no real treatment other than rest, though ice packs can help, and obviously painkillers. Since the fic is already complete, I hereby decree that in this 'verse Ronan learned the wrong way to deal with cracked ribs from Niall. Thank you, [sister-chan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KouriArashi)! I am a bad writer and get no biscuit, LOL


End file.
